Sampling device



Jan. 19, 1937. J. M. M MANUS SAMPLING DEVICE I 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fi ledMay 3, 1954 J. M. M MANUS ATTORNEY M/VE/VTOR Jan. 19, 1937. J. M.MCMANUS Y SAMPLING DEVICE Filed May 5, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3.

lNVE/VTOR J. M. M MANUS ATTORNEY Ill Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE SAMPLING DEVICE Application May 3, 1934, Serial No.723,715

2 Claims.

This invention relates to sampling devices and more particularly todevices for sampling the product of a machine producing a sequence ofdiscrete articles such as a punch press or the like while in operationwithout interruption.

In a punch press as is Well known, a cooperating punch and die are usedto cut articles usually from sheet material by a shearing action betweenthe punch and die. In time the two cooperating tools wear and theshearing effect becomes less efiicient until the burr left on the workproduced becomes too large, when the press must be stopped and the toolsrepaired or replaced.

One object of the invention is to provide a device applicable to anymachine such as an article forming press which produces a sequence ofdiscrete articles combined with means to guide or to carry the articlesaway from the machine along a predetermined normal path, the devicebeing operable at will to be interposed between the machine and thearticle guiding or removing means to divert one or more articles at willfrom their normal path for inspection, testing or analogous purposes.

With the above and other objects in View, one embodiment of theinvention contemplates a machine for producing disconnected articles ina continuous sequence and discharging them along a predetermined path,which is provided with means operable at will to divert one or morearticles from the predetermined path for examination or test withoutotherwise interfering with the normal operation of the machine. Themachine may be for example anordinary punch press have ing a female diesupported on the bed plate of the press and a coacting punch mounted onthe reciprocatory ram or cross-head. Sheet material may be fed betweenthe punch and die advancing between successive strokes of the punch. Astacking or magazining device is located under the bed plate to receivepunchings from the die and assemble or stack the same in co-orientedpluralities. The stacking device comprises a chute leading from theunder face of the die to the stacker proper. Thesampling devicecharacteristic of the invention is interposable between the stackingchute and the die and includes a swinging gate or other means to divertaway from the" chute an article issuing from the die to be caughtmanually or otherwise for inspection.

Other objects and characteristic features of the invention will appearfrom the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof takenin connection with the accompanying drawings in which like referencenumerals are applied to identical parts in the several figures and inwhich Fig. 1 is a broken view in side elevation and partly in section ofa punch press having a stacking device embodying the invention;

, Fig. 2 is a similar view thereof in front elevation;

Fig. 3 is a detached broken plan view of the stacking device alone, andr Fig. 4 is a similar view thereof in side elevation.

As herein disclosed the invention is embodied ina sampling deviceadjoined to a stacking or magazining apparatus attached to a punchpress. The punch press is an old and well known machine the details ofconstruction and operation of which are familiar and not pertinent tothe invention. To avoid unnecessary complexity in the drawings therefor,parts of the die 20 and of the bolster or bed-plate 2| of the press,which supports the die, are the only parts of the machine shown. 7 Thedie 20 has a vertical perforation 22 adapted to coact with acorresponding punch not shown to cut laminar blanks or punchings one ata time from a strip or sheet of material fed step by step over the topsurface of the die. Successive blanks are pushed by the punch throughthe perforation 22 into the stacking device below. The blanks hereconsidered are of an elongated rectangular c-shape. The die 20 isfurther provided with a pair of yieldable spring pressed detents 23housed in corresponding bores in. the body of the die to keep the blanksfrom falling through the die or issuing therefrom except undercompulsion by the punch. I

The stacking device comprises a pair of vertically disposed mutuallyparallel supporting and guiding rods .30 whose upper ends are threadedand screwed into corresponding tapped holes in the under face of the dieand supported thereby. The lower ends of the rods 30 are rigidly spacedapart and held in a yoke 3| perforated to receive the rods which arethreaded and locked in place in the yoke by nuts 32. 'An otherwise idleportion 33 of the rods 30 is formed with a hexagonal cross-section tofacilitate screwing the rods into the die, while the rods above thisportion are preferably circular in cross-section to act as guide slidesas hereinafter described.

- A pair of upper slide blocks 34 and a pair of lower slide blocks 35,each appropriately perforated, are mounted to slide on and be guided bythe cylindrical upper parts of the rods 30. These four slide blocks 34and 35 are vertically spaced apart and heldrigidly by being attached bywelding or otherwise to a substantially rectangular back plate 36.

Four mutually substantially parallel and conveniently curved guide rails31 form a skeleton trough to receive and guide punching s or blanksissuing from the bottom of the perforation 22. These rails 31 areattached rigidly at their upper ends either to the blocks 34 and 35 orto the back plate 36 as by screws 38. The screws 38 are omitted in Fig.2 for simplicity. The trough 31 is part of a stacking device forcollecting blanks or punchings into regular groups or piles. The fate ofthe blanks after entering the trough 31 is not relevant to the presentinvention and so onlythe upper part of the trough is shown. The troughas a whole, however, moves up and. down with the slide blocks 34 and 35as hereinafter disclosed. A blank 39 is shown in position in Fig. 3entering the top of the trough and is also indicated in dotted lines inFig. 2.

The upper link 49 of a vertically disposed toggle is pivoted at 4| to alug dependent from the lower side of the back plate 36.

The lower link 420i the toggle is pivoted at 43 to a lug upstanding fromthe fixed yoke 3|, and at 44 to the upper link. The lower link 42 isgenerally T-shaped. One horizontal arm 45 (Fig. 2) is perforated at itsouter extremity for attachment thereto of the upper end of a tensionspring 46, the lower end of which is attached adjustably, as by athumbnut and slide 41, 48, to the yoke 3|. The other horizontal arm 49,shown as broken 01f, carries a handle not shown, or is attached to atreadle not shown or otherwise adapted forconvenient actuation. The arm49 is also formed with an integral stop shoulder 50 adapted to abutagainst the link 40 to prevent overthrowing of the toggle to the right(in Fig. 2).

When the arm 49 is pressed down the parts will assume the positionsindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. A pivotable latch 5| pivoted to theyoke 3| is provided to coact with a pin 52 mounted in the link 42 toholdthe parts in the dotted line position for as long as may be desiredagainst the tension of the spring 46. i

The stacker trough 31 is made thus movable to permit of actuating thesampling device at will. The sampling device proper comprises a pair ofsupporting members 53 mounted on the upper ends of the rods 30 and heldin place rigidly against the under face of the die 20 by being clampedbetween the under face of the die and shoulders formed on the rods 30.An inverted U-shaped front plate 54 is attached to the front faces ofthe members 53 as by screws 55. The screws 55 are omitted in Fig. 2 forclarity.

A'swinging gate 56 having a broad shallow U- shaped cross-section, ispositioned in the U of the plate 54 and is pivotally mounted on pins 51carried in the ends of the plate 54. A coil spring 58 supported on oneof the pins 51 and having one end anchored in the plate 54 and the otherin the gate 56 tends to swing the gate from the position shown in Fig. lto that shown in Fig. 4. When the parts are in the positions shown inFig. l, the top of the gate rests against the blocks 34 which hold thegate against the urge of the spring. A stop block 59 is mounted on theplate 54 and 10- cated and proportioned to prevent the gate fromswinging further than shown in Fig; 4.

When the machine is operating normally a continuous sequence of punchedblanks passes down through the perforation 22 in the die 20. Theseblanks enter the trough 31 and are guided away thereby for furthertreatment or other disposal, e. g. to be collected into regular stacks.

When it is desired to take a sample of the blanks, to determine byinspection thereof the condition of the punch and die or for any otherpurpose, the arm 49 is depressed. This actuates the'toggle 42-40 to drawdown the back plate 36 and therewith the blocks 35 and 34 and the trough31 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 into the position shown infull lines in Fig. 4. 'As the blocks 34 slide down they cease to supportthe top of the gate 56 against the urge of the spring 58 and the gateswings into the position shown in Fig. 4.

So long as the gate is in the position of Fig. 4, blanks dropping fromor pushed out of the die 20 are diverted from their normal path and maybe caught as they fall from the gate in the operators hand, or in a boxor basket, or in any other convenient receptacle.

The bar 49 may be held down by hand as long as desired or locked down bythe latch 5|.

By returning the bar 49 to horizontal, the conditions shown in fulllines in Fig. 2 are restored and the apparatus then continues tofunction normally.

The invention is herein disclosed as embodied in a device attached to apunch press having a delivery chute to receive work from the die. Theinvention is however not limited to application to such a machine.Wherever a machine delivers a sequence of discrete articles into meansfor guiding the articles away along a predetermined normal path, theinvention may find application in a device interposed between themachine proper or a delivery member thereof and the guiding 'means todivert articles at will from their normal predetermined path. Hence theinvention is applicable to a large variety ,of machines and processes.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is illustrative merelyand may be modified and departed from in many ways without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limitedonly by the appended claims.

What is claimed is: V

1. In an article forming press having a die, a support attached to thedie, means on the support movable'into one position to normally receivearticles from the. die and movable into another position, and means,caused to become operative by the receiving means in moving, tointerpose between the die and the receiving means to divert articlesfrom the receiving means.

I 2. In an article forming press having a die, a support attached to thedie, means on the support movable into one position to normally receivearticles from the die and movable into another position, and a gate,caused to become operative by the receiving means in moving, tointerpose between the die and thereceiving means to divert articles fromthe receiving means.

' JAMES M. McMANUS.

